A new subsidiary has been created by the Bayer Construct group of companies, which is 100% Hungarian-owned and offers complex construction and real estate development solutions. The new company, Bayer Property will focus on the preparation and implementation of complex real estate development projects

Total demand on the Budapest industrial market amounted to 79,660 sqm in Q1 2020, indicating a 5% decrease from the figure noted in the same period last year. Lease renewals accounted for an outstandingly high ratio, reaching 85% of the quarterly volume. The Budapest Research Forum published its quarterly industrial market analysis

For residential developments executed in brownfield zones a VAT rate of 5% will apply instead of the normal 27%, the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office announced today.

Erste Real Estate, a subsidiary of Erste Bank Hungary, has signed an agreement to sell 57 hectares of a 170-hectare plot in Ecser, next to Budapest, to an international logistics company that intends to build a 100,000-square-meter high bay warehouse on the plot. VLK Cresa assisted the seller in this transaction.

Hungary's economy could rebound with 4.2% GDP growth in 2021 following a 3.1% contraction this year, according to a forecast by the International Monetary Fund published on Tuesday. According to the IMF, Hungary's economy is surprisingly resilient to the crisis, with only Serbia expected to do slightly better this year in the region.

Furniture retailer Jysk will begin building a new distribution centre in Ecser, Hungary in April. When in operation, the €200 million distribution centre will employ around 300 people and further strengthen the company’s logistics setup in Europe, the company announced.

Belgian developer Atenor completed the construction of Aréna Business Campus Building “A” in Budapest. The project, launched in spring 2018, will comprise four Class A+ environmentally conscious office buildings on 72,000 sqm on the capital’s Hungária Boulevard. The authorization of the occupancy permit for Building “A” is currently under process with the handover of the 21,000 sqm building scheduled for June. In parallel, the construction of the second, Building ”B” is in full swing and will be completed in Q2 2021.

For the first time since Q4 2018, the vacancy rate on the Budapest office market increased in Q1 2020, albeit only by 0.6 pps. Total demand in the first quarter of 2020 reached 79,660 sqm, stagnating year-on-year, according to BRF’s latest figures.

Hungarian residential developer Cordia is introducing a new, secure, online service that covers the entire home buying process, including virtual viewing and remote contract signing.

The preliminary investment volumes for the CEE region for Q1 2020 have reached ca. €3.7 billion, despite the onset of COVID-19 in CEE at the beginning of March. This volume was significantly boosted by the ca. €1.3 billion acquisition of the Residomo portfolio in the Czech Republic by Heimstaden, however, it still represents a y-o-y growth of 68% over Q1 2019 (ca. €2.2 billion) and 28% over Q1 2018 (ca. €2.9 billion).